Magic Can't Always Save You
by Hunterjumper2016
Summary: A gripping tale of Emma Alonso as she faces enemies and other struggles in the post-apocalyptic nation of Contego. An Every Witch Way story based on Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games. Don't forget to review! I NEED feedback! :) And, yes, this is a Jemma story, but I'm not going to ridicule Daniel.
1. Chapter 1: Intro and Drawing the Names

Magic Can't Always Save You

Disclaimer: I do not own either Every Witch Way or The Hunger Games

List of Characters:

Name (Taking the role of)

*=Characters from the original books:

Emma Alonso (Katniss Everdeen)

Jax Novoa (Peeta Mellark)

Daniel Miller (Gale Hawthorne)

Maddie VanPelt (Annie Cresta)- won't appear until Part 3

Diego Rueda (Finnick Odair)- won't appear until Part 2

Robby Miller (Rory Hawthorne)

Melanie Miller (Vick Hawthorne)- gender reversal between Posy and Vick

Tommy Miller (Posy Hawthorne)

Francisco Alonso (Mr. Everdeen)- role reversal

Lily (Haymitch Abernathy)

Andi Cruz (Primrose Everdeen)

Tony Meyer (District 3 Male Tribute)

Mac Davis (Thresh)

Coach Julio (Training Instructor)

Gigi Rueda (Caesar Flickerman)

Principal Torres (President Snow)

*Cato (District 2)

*Clove (District 2)

*Marvel (District 1)

*Glimmer (District 1)

*Foxface (District 5)

Sophie Johnson (Rue)

*Seneca Crane

Agamemnon (Plutarch Heavensbee)

Desdemona (President Alma Coin)

Ramona (Effie Trinket)

Katie Rice (Johanna Mason)

*All other characters are from the original Hunger Games series

^Panem is now Contego which means protection in Latin

Part 1: The Drawing

Chapter 1- Drawing the Names Part 1

Emma Alonso woke up bright and early. On the Drawing Day, almost every teenage boy and girl in Region 12 did. Emma, however, was always on edge, even if it wasn't Drawing Day. As a witch, especially the Chosen One, her odds of being discovered by President Torres' Peacekeepers, went through the roof. Magical beings like witches, wizards, and Churi Kanays had almost all been driven to extinction in Contego; except for a select few who were never found by the Peacekeepers. Only three people knew of Emma's powers and each one was sworn to secrecy for theirs and Emma's safety. Emma rose from her bed, quickly casting a silencing spell as she did and walked past her best friend, Andi. Andi Cruz lost both of her parents in the mining explosion that cost Emma her mother eight years ago. Luckily, her father, Francisco, had escaped in time. He took Andi in and raised her as his second daughter. Ever since then, Andi and Emma did almost everything together. Except, on the Drawing Day, on that day, Emma dedicated her time to her _other_ best friend. Daniel had lived down the street from Emma since birth. Andi had always been there to talk about the usual things that went on in Emma's life, but Daniel was the one who really understood Emma as a witch.

The young witch slunk past her father's bedroom and climbed down the staircase and ventured into the bathroom. After getting dressed, she slipped on her deerskin boots. The boots had molded to the shape of her foot after being worn so much; they had originally belonged to Emma's mother before the explosion. Emma looked around at her living room, it was nothing impressive, most of the homes in the lower class sector of Region 12, often called the Coal Basket due to the number of coal miners living there, were. As one of the farthest Regions from the Centroid (which was located in the Seattle, Washington area of the US), Region 12 often received the least amount of supplies needed to thrive and the highest amount of law enforcement to contain the hungry, impoverished masses. And while her home was better off than others, Emma still fantasized over the lavish mansions that were found in Region 1 and the three story country houses of Region 2. Nevertheless, Emma turned her attention to her friend and proceeded to walk out the door and into the bright, early morning sunlight. The air was cool for late May, but it was refreshing, compared to the standard 80 degree days that the mid-Atlantic Region often experienced this time of year.

Without any hesitation, the witch power-walked to the 10-foot tall fence that surrounded the entire Region. On the opposite side, stood a massive deciduous forest, with row upon row of oak, birch, pine and maple trees. The fence had originally been built to keep wildlife away, but over time, the animals found ways to sneak into the Region's outskirts. She remembered the first time she made this journey into the woods. It was with Daniel, not long after her mom and his dad were killed in the explosion. They had stumbled into a beautiful gorge that overlooked the vast forest that stretched all the way to the Region 10 border in the Southwest, and the Region 11 Border in the North.

There, Emma practiced her powers and Daniel helped her. After they grew tired they would sit and talk and have a small picnic with whatever leftovers they could find. It was hard for Daniel, since he had three younger siblings, but he always had a smile on his face when he was with Emma.

"I thought you weren't coming." Daniel said with a chuckle. He was seated on a large rock with a picnic basket next to him.

"Sorry, I had to sneak past Andi to get here." Emma sat down with the young man and smiled. Daniel was a handsome boy of 16. He had short light brown hair that was in a crew cut, and big brown eyes. He stood at about 6 feet tall and was fairly muscular from working the mines.

"Well, I won't hold it against you today; this isn't a day to hold grudges." The young miner smiled as he opened the basket and pulled out two apples. He handed one to Emma as he said, "A toast to the Hunger Games!"

"And may your odds be greatly in your favor!" The pair of friends said together in the ridiculous accent that Ramona, the Region 12 escort from the Centroid, spoke with. They laughed, but quickly fell silent. Suddenly, Emma broke the silence.

"Do you still think about running away, you know, into the woods and living there? I remember you were talking about it a few weeks ago."

"Yeah, I can't stand the Centroid and their laws to _protect _the people of the Contego Regions. There nothing but garbage," there was a pause as Daniel sighed and looked off into the distance, "How many times did you put your name in the bowl today?"

"Twenty. Andi is only in once," Emma knew Daniel wouldn't be happy with that. He was always trying to tell her to avoid signing up for extra bread and milk in exchange for adding her name into the bowl extra times, "what about you?"

"48." It was no surprise because Daniel came from such a large family. And with no father figure to provide for them-

Daniel checked the watch he got from his father's will, the time was 1:00, the Drawing was at 2:15,

"We better head back and get ready." Daniel rose as he said this, extending his hand to Emma who took it and stood with him. After making the trek through the woods and sneaking under the fence once more, the two friends went there separate ways down the street to change into their formal attire. Emma quickly showered (her home was one of the few in the Coal Basket that had heated running water) and changed into a simple baby blue dress. She then proceeded to braid her hair the same way her mother used to, a simple french braid.

"You look just like your mother," Francisco Alonso smiled weakly as he looked at his daughter. He had never recovered emotionally from his wife's death; he became stoic and distant from those he loved and cared for," you're just missing one thing. Here," Francisco took a small brooch out of one of the small jewelry boxes that his wife had left for her daughter. The brooch was circular and in the center was a mockingjay holding a flaming arrow in its beak. Francisco pinned it on Emma's dress and smiled,"now c'mon, we have to get to the square before 2:15. ANDI, LET'S GO!"

Just then, Andi came through the doorway, wearing a green dress that was identical to Emma's. Together, they walked out of the house and into the sunlight. When they made it to the town square, Andi and Emma got in line behind the other teens waiting to have their blood samples taken. Emma spotted Daniel a few rows over and waved, which he received warmly and smiled in response.

After getting her blood drawn, she stepped into the portion of the square that had been sectioned and organized by gender and age and thought, "_Well, there's no turning back now."_


	2. Chapter 2: Drawing the Names Part 2

Chapter 2- Drawing the Names Part 2

_Previously:_

_"Well, there's no turning back now."_

Emma stood like a statue alongside Andi. Though the two friends were surrounded by dozens of other 16 year old girls who were just as scared as they were, they felt alone. Finally, after a brief 15 minute waiting period, Ramona came onto the stage that was set up in front of the Region 12 Overseer's Hall.

"Welcome, everyone, to this, the 74th annual drawing of names for the Hunger Games. May your odds be greatly in your favor," silence followed, it always did,"let's get started then."

Ramona handed the microphone over to the Overseer of Region 12 who delivered the same old speech that told of how the magical beings of the 12 Regions had rebelled against former President Drake. After 2 years of bloodshed, the leader of the Rebellion, Gregory Hunger, was killed and the rebels were defeated. To remind the people of Contego that the actions of these magical beings would not be forgotten, every Region was mandated to select one male teen and one female teen to fight against each other in an arena until one remained. This was declared to be The Hunger Games, named for the rebel who started it all.

After he finished, Ramona stepped up and took the microphone again,"Now, shall we start with the men?" Ramona walked over to a large blue glass bowl, stuck her hand in and drew a strip of paper,"Jax Novoa." The group of boys in the 17 year old square parted and Jax walked silently up to the stage. Emma stared in shock at the young man. Jax was the only person other than Andi and Daniel who knew she had powers, because he had powers himself. In fact, he saved her and Andi once from starvation. Not long after her mom died, her father completely lost it and was unable to provide for the girls. Jax was the baker's son and when he saw Emma sitting on the ground, near death, he cast a spell that delivered her two loaves of golden bread on a silver platter. When she looked up at him, he winked and put his fingers to his lips. And that was that. Emma had seen Jax at school from time to time but that was all.

"And now for the ladies," Ramona interrupted Emma's thoughts as the representative walked to a pink glass bowl and pulled a strip of paper,"Andi Cruz."

Emma's heart sank, and Andi stood in shock as the group of girls parted for her. Four Peacekeepers walked over to her, but Emma, without thinking intervened," I volunteer in her place!" The Peacekeepers stood in confusion for a moment, but then walked over to Emma and escorted her to the stage. Ramona asked her name and congratulated her for her willingness to take another's place. And finally, after shaking each other's hand, Emma and Jax were shoved into a car and taken to the train that would bring them to a place that they had hoped they would never end up, the Centroid of Contego.


	3. Chapter 3: The Train

Chapter 3: The Train

Emma and Jax walked quietly into the Centroid train and gazed at the interior. The carpeting was royal blue in color and the car they were standing in was filled with some of the most exquisite furniture the two teens had ever seen. On the wall that separated this car from another, there was a 65-inch flat screen TV. And, from the ceiling, a beautiful crystal chandelier hung over it all. Emma and Jax were still in awe of it all when Ramona interrupted their thoughts,"Well, I'm going to go find Lily, she's probably in the bar car. Why don't you two have a seat and get to know each other while I'm gone?"

After Ramona left, the Region 12 tributes sat in silence.

"Have you ever met her, you know Lily?" Jax said suddenly, he spoke with the same accent that his father did. Emma figured he was only trying to strike up a conversation, but it wasn't going to work, Emma was still in shock from what had just happened,"_I volunteer to take her place!" _still rang clear in her head.

"You know that I'm a wizard, right? Emma?" Jax was whispering quietly now, for fear that the Centroid representative and their mentor would walk in at anytime.

"Yeah, and you know I'm a witch. So what?" The young witch didn't feel like talking to the boy next to her, in fact, she had never even got a good look at him this whole time. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see him. Jax was tall, about 6'2", and very muscular due to all the heavy lifting he did in the bakery. His hair was black and was in a crew cut like Daniel's, only Jax had spiked the front. Overall, Jax Novoa was an extremely handsome young man. But what intrigued Emma the most, were his eyes. His eyes weren't blue or green or even light brown like Daniel's. His eyes were a dark chocolate brown and they held so much emotion in them that Emma could see exactly what he was feeling at that moment. He was terrified. And so was Emma. Just then, Lily burst through the door, carrying a bottle of whiskey. She plopped herself down on the love-seat across from the tributes and took a long drink from the bottle.

Finally, Jax said,"So when do we get started?"

"Whoa, whoa, slow down there, kid, normally you tributes aren't _this_ excited to hear from me." Lily had interrupted.

"Yeah, but you're our mentor. You're supposed to tell us how to get sponsors and give us advice." Emma surprisingly chided.

"You want advice, fine, uh, embrace the fact that your death is inevitable, and know in your heart that there is nothing that I can do to save you." Jax and Emma sat and stared in utter disbelief at Lily. How could the one person who was supposed to teach them and advise them treat them like that? Lily stood with her bottle and walked out the door.

"Uhh, I guess I'll see you at dinner,"Jax said as he stood up and headed to the door,"bye."

"Bye."

Later that day, after Lily and Ramona had gotten into an argument over why there hadn't been any ice for Lily's drink, Emma walked into her room and sat on the bed. Her room was in the same train car as Ramona and Lily, and she could still hear them arguing in the hall. Once they left, Emma showered and changed into the set of silk pajamas that were laying on the bed. She noticed the mockingjay pin was still on her dress, and mindlessly took it off and set it on her nightstand. Even though it was only 7:00, Emma realized how exhausted she was and lay her head on the goose feather pillow. Within minutes, Emma was overcome by sleep.

-Emma woke with a start the next morning, she had had a nightmare about the events that happened yesterday. Looking over at the clock she saw that it was already 8:00 in the morning. So, the young witch thought it best to get out of bed and head out to breakfast. When she arrived at the dining car, Emma noticed that Jax and Lily were already awake and talking about something. Jax heard the door open and turned, greeting Emma with a smile," Mornin', sleepy head, sit and have something to eat. Lily and I were just talking about different ways to find shelter."

Emma sat next to Jax and grabbed a muffin from the bowl in front of her," How **do** you find shelter,Lily?" she asked.

"Pass the jam, would you?" Lily said, ignoring Emma's question entirely.

"How do you find shelter, Lily?" Emma said even louder.

Lily sighed, "Listen, sweetheart, it's too early for you to be yelling at me, now, would please pass the-" Without thinking, Emma grabbed a butter knife and slammed it into the table between Lily's thumb and index finger. At the same moment, Ramona walked in," Hey, that's mahogany!"

The look on the Region 12 mentor's face was one that showed both anger and disbelief," Fine! You want to know how to survive? You get people to like you. Sponsors save you. When you're out there and you're starving or freezing, some food, a blanket or even some matches can make all the difference." Emma was speechless, until Jax said," Look, there it is."

Emma looked out the window to see a huge city on the opposite side of lake, as Ramona said," Emma, Jax, welcome to the Centroid."


	4. Chapter 4: Cinna and The Tribute Parade

**A/N: Hey, this is going way better than I thought it would! So, who else is excited for Season 3? :D Please review!**

Chapter 4: Cinna and The Tribute Parade

"Wow!" That was all Emma could think of to describe the Centroid. It was absolutely enormous. Suddenly, the city disappeared behind a train tunnel that eventually opened up to train station where dozens of Centroid citizens were standing. When they saw the train pull in, they rushed over as close as they could to get a glimpse of the Region 12 tributes. Jax eagerly stood up and walked over to the window and waved to the crowd. He smiled and turned towards Emma," C'mon! You want to get sponsors, don't you?"

But, Emma stayed planted in her chair and stared at him. Lily then pulled the knife out of the table and handed it to the girl," You better hang on to this knife, because he knows what he's doing."

-"Now, tonight is the Tribute Parade. You're going to ride in a chariot together and hear President Torres speak and then, we'll come back to the hotel and get you ready for training tomorrow morning. Come on, you two, keep up! We need to get you both ready to meet with your stylists; Emma you will be with Cinna, Jax you'll be with Portia, now come on!" Ramona continued to blabber on and on as the group of 4 walked into the hotel that was specially built for the Hunger Games tributes. They stepped into an elevator and headed to the 2nd floor, where the stylists were waiting for them.

"Emma Alonso? It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Cinna." Cinna was a fairly young man, in his early 20's at least, and unlike the other stylists Emma saw on the floor, he was only decorated with three small gold earrings on his left ear. Jax's stylist, Portia, however, was another story. Her hair was grass green and she wore green eye shadow of the same color. Portia quickly introduced herself and left her team to prep Jax. Cinna's team walked over as well and led Emma to another section of the floor were the female tributes were being prepped. After what seemed like hours of waxing, bathing, clipping and combing, Emma was brought to a private room were she and Cinna would discuss the parade attire.

"I'm sorry about the tedious prepping, but it's required that all tributes be absolutely spotless for tonight." Cinna said as he entered the room,"I think that what you did for your friend was amazing. You are one brave witch, Emma."

Emma was shocked,"How did you-?"

"I could tell by the gleam in your eyes, my father was a Churi Kanay. Don't worry, yours and Jax's secret is safe with me," he paused and smiled,"now, about tonight, usually the tributes are dressed to represent their Region's main export-"

"Yeah," Emma interrupted,"12 is always dressed as coal miners."

"But I don't want to do that, someone with as much heart and bravery as you shouldn't be dressed in some stupid costume. Let's get you ready, oh, and one question, are you afraid of fire at all?"

-Five hours later, all of the Region's tributes gathered on the first floor of the hotel, in a room where the chariots would enter the parade from. Everyone was dressed to match their Region's exports, except for Jax and Emma. They were dressed in black fabric that Cinna and Portia had created to withstand an artificial flame. This would give them the appearance of burning coal.

"Don't worry, this flame only appears real; it won't hurt you in any way." Portia explained to the two teens as they climbed into their chariot alongside the other tributes,"Are you ready?"

-As always, Region 1 led the procession and the other Regions followed suit. Separate from the crowd of Centroid citizens, Gigi Rueda, the Centroid's Master of Ceremonies, was watching the parade and reporting live to the Regions.

"Here they come! Ladies and gentlemen, this year's Hunger Games tributes! Region 1 is looking stunning as usual dressed as different precious gems, I love how the stylists capture the essence of the Region's mai-, what is that?" Gigi was eyeing the entrance of the hotel where there was a faint orange glow. Finally, the people of the Centroid and Contego saw that the glow was coming from the Region 12 tributes who were literally on fire. The crowd went wild as all eyes turned to Emma and Jax. Very subtly, Jax tried to grab Emma's hand, but she pulled away,"Hey, come on, Em, they'll love it."

Emma groaned as she reluctantly took his hand and raised there hands into the air;Jax was right, the crowd practically exploded when they saw them. Finally, the chariot came to a halt in between Regions 10 and 11. In front of them, President Torres was standing on a terrace that bore the emblem of the Centroid. The President walked up to a microphone and the crowd immediately fell silent.

"Welcome, tributes, to the 74th annual Hunger Games. And may your odds be greatly in your favor. I hope that you fight well and remember that you are all making your Regions proud." Torres had cut her speech very short, and with a wave of her hand, the chariots were dismissed.

-"You two were fantastic!" Cinna shouted as he ran up to the chariot and hugged Emma.

"Not bad, sweetheart, not bad at all." Lily said as she patted Emma on the back.

Ramona interrupted the celebration,"It's getting late, we should head up to our floor. Since you two are from 12, you get the penthouse." On the way up in the elevator, Emma and Jax started to get lost in conversation,"How did you know the crowd would like that?"

"Well, everyone likes a little romance, right?" Jax smiled as the elevator opened to the 14th floor. He winked at Emma and headed to his room. After he left, Emma went to her room and collapsed on her bed. The way that Jax had looked at her in the elevator had made Emma feel something she had never felt before. And she liked it.


	5. Chapter 5: Training Day 1

**A/N: Come on guys, I need reviews so I can be inspired to continue writing! Please review!**

Chapter 5: Training Day 1

The next morning, Emma woke early and joined Jax, who was already up, at the breakfast table. They chatted and laughed and smiled for what seemed like hours, until Lily and Ramona came bursting in,"Morning. Today, you two start your training. Remember to never show your skills until you're evaluated. And, uh, try not to use magic, would ya?" Emma and Jax both stiffened when Lily said magic. How did she know? Cinna hadn't spoken to her, had he?

"Relax, sweetheart, Ramona and I both know. Because we are just like you." It was true, actually many Centroid citizens possessed magic, but very few actually used it. Lily was a powerless witch, but was well aware of other magical beings. The tributes were still tense as they went to their rooms to change into their training uniforms. The uniforms were black, red and charcoal gray. Each tribute had their Region's number emblazoned on the left shoulder and the back. This would be the uniform that they would wear for the next 3 days as they perfected their survival and combat skills.

* * *

><p>Once they were ready, Emma and Jax took the elevator to the basement floor of the hotel, which had been converted into a state of the art training facility. On the right wall, the Head Gamemaker, Seneca Crane, was sitting with his colleagues, observing the tributes. Seneca was responsible for designing the Hunger Games, from the Tribute Parade, to the arena's landscape. He would be the one who determined if a tribute would be likely to survive based on their performance during training. And Seneca Crane was <strong>never<strong> wrong. **  
><strong>

As the tributes gathered to wait for the Training Master, they finally were given the chance to interact before the met again in the arena. Emma tried to be as polite as possible to the two Career boys from Regions 1 and 2. Marvel and Cato, respectively, were trying to flirt with Emma, whom they saw as just another pretty face who had been thrown in here against her will. The entire time they spoke with her, Jax couldn't help but stare in disgust at them. Once Emma was able to drive them away, she met the tributes from Region 11. Thresh was a kind boy, he told Emma about how he used to plow the fields in 11 with his father and uncle before he came to the Centroid. The girl, Sophie, was a fruit sorter before she came to the Centroid. She was smaller than most, so she was usually the one who would climb the fruit trees and pick from the top. Emma told them her story of how she had to barter goods that she and Daniel had found in the woods in the Region 12 Black Market to get by. They both thought that Emma was brave for taking her friends place, and with a smile and a wave, they left. Jax came walking up behind her and caught the witch by surprise,"Well, they seemed nice."

"Hey! Don't sneak up on me like that!" Just as Jax was about to respond, the Training Master came in.

"All right, tributes! Welcome to Day 1 of your training. I'm Julio, your Training Master. Before we begin, I want to lay down some ground rules, first, absolutely no fighting with other tributes, you'll have plenty of time to do that in the arena. Second, pay attention, not only to your combat training, but to your survival training as well. Believe it or not, only a small number of you will die at the hands of another tribute. Most of you will die from natural causes, 10% from infection and 20% from dehydration. Remember, in two weeks 23 of you will be dead. What you learn here could either kill you or save you."

With that, Julio dismissed the tributes and allowed them to begin. Naturally, the Careers headed for combat training along with a few others from outlying Regions. Emma however decided it would be best for her to master survival. Emma's entire day was spent learning how to identify poisonous plants, how to build fires, how build snares, even how to make shelter. By the end of the day Emma was exhausted, and so was Jax. They rode up to their floor in silence, all the while wondering what they would have in store for them when they arrived. Oddly enough, Lily welcomed them back and asked what they thought of the other tributes, which led to a conversation on what to expect from who in the arena. Once they had finished talking, it was nearly 9:30, so both teens headed to their rooms to prepare for Day 2 of their training.


	6. Chapter 6: Training Day 2

**A/N: Why be there no reviews? Do you not like my story? Don't worry, I can take criticism, just please no cussing.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 6: Training Day 2<p>

The following morning, Emma woke before Jax. The Centroid servants had already set out breakfast and were standing quietly, awaiting any call for assistance. None of the servants spoke a word, because none of them had tongues. They had been cut out by the Centroid government for many reasons. Most were witches, wizards or Kanays that had been discovered by Peacekeepers. Emma tried to push the thought of possibly being discovered as a witch aside as she heard her fellow tribute enter the dining hall.

"Good morning, Em." Jax said rather seductively.

"Hey, Jax, what's with the nickname?" Emma said with a smirk. Ever since the Tribute Parade, Jax and Emma had grown closer than ever, but not to the point of giving each other nicknames. Jax didn't respond, instead he chuckled and sat down next to the witch. The new pair of friends talked for hours at the breakfast table, completely ignoring Lily and Ramona. Emma realized that she had more in common with Jax than just her powers. They both liked looking at the stars, they both wanted to leave Region 12 in search of a better life, and they had both lost their mothers. Jax had lost his mother after the bakery caught on fire when he was 12. Just as he was about to tell Emma more about her, Lily interrupted,"Sorry to interrupt your little chat, but it's almost 9:30, you two need to head down for training." Jax then proceeded to cast a spell that put him and Emma into their training uniforms.

"C'mon, Em, let's get going." Jax offered his hand to the witch, who took it hesitantly, and led her to the elevator. Once they reached the training floor, Emma and Jax went their separate ways, Jax heading to hand-to-hand combat and Emma heading towards knife throwing. It would be best to have at least some combat training for the Games. After learning how to handle a knife effectively, Emma went to the ropes course, where Jax was taking his turn. He was swinging across a set of rope monkey bars, when he lost his grip and landed on his back. The Careers who were also watching laughed at Jax, who appeared incapable of hanging onto ropes to them. Desperate to help her friend, Emma rushed over to Jax and helped him up.

"Thanks."

"No problem. Now, go throw that medicine ball over there." Jax was surprised, the medicine balls weighed in at about 130 pounds each, only Cato had tried to lift them and throw them, but was unsuccessful. It would be no problem for Jax, who had done heavy lifting for years in the bakery.

"But, Lily said not show our talents until-"

"I don't care what Lily said, right now those Careers are looking at you like you're a meal. Throw. It."

Emma spoke with an intensity that no one had ever heard before. Jax felt that if he didn't do as she said, she would she would cast a spell on him that would make him do it. The wizard strode over to the medicine balls and picked one up off of the racks. Aiming for the rack of spears on the other side of the floor, Jax threw the ball with all his might and knocked the rack over. He peeked over at the Careers who were now standing in shock at the wizard as Emma smiled at him.

After a taxing day of combat training, the Region 12 tributes came onto the 14th floor and were greeted by an empty room. Ramona had left a note saying that she and Lily had to go with the other mentors and Centroid representatives to an interview with Gigi Rueda and they wouldn't return till later that night. So, Emma and Jax ate dinner, then shifted over to the terrace. The terrace overlooked a pool and fountain that sat in front of a small park, one of the few patches of grass that existed in the Centroid.

"So," Jax suddenly said,"I hear your chances of making it in this game are really good."

"I've heard the same about you."

"No, I- I'm never gonna have chance."

"You don't know that-"

"YES, Emma, I DO!" Jax was shouting at her and Emma jumped back in surprise," You know what I heard my dad say as I walked past him at the Drawing? He said, 'Looks like 12 doesn't have a shot at winning, again.'" The wizard was starting to feel tears form on his cheek and he turned away so that Emma wouldn't see. When Emma tried to touch his shoulder and reassure him, he walked off the terrace and into his room, leaving Emma alone. She felt so sorry for him, ever since his mother had died, his father had been somewhat abusive to him. She wished that everything wold be okay in the morning. And maybe, their new-found friendship could be saved.


	7. Chapter 7: Training Day 3The Evaluation

**A/N: So, after this week, I won't be able to update for two weeks, I'm going to Florida for vacation. Let me know in a review if you have any ideas you want to see in future chapters! Thnx!**

* * *

><p>Chapter 7: Training Day 3 and the Evaluation<p>

After last night, Emma was surprised that Jax would even talk to her. She saw him over at the camouflage station and walked up to him to see his work. The results were stunning. Jax had painted his arm to match the bark on a tree and he had done so perfectly.

"Oh my god, Jax! That's amazing! I didn't know you could do that."

"Thanks, I used to decorate the cakes at the bakery, it's how I got my practice." Jax smiled slightly, then looked at Emma," I could show you if you'd like."

Emma returned his smile," I'd love to."

* * *

><p>Emma looked at her camouflaged arm with pride; she had been practicing with Jax all day and, finally, was able to disguise her arm as a tree, a rock, and even some brush. The entire time, she thought Jax would give up on her, claiming that she was unteachable, but it was the exact opposite. The young wizard was patient with Emma, and whenever she was confused he would explain everything she didn't understand. He was kind to her, and in return, she was kind to him.<p>

* * *

><p>After training was over and all of the tributes had returned to their floors, the mentors were given instruction to detail the next 2 days. First, came the evaluation.<p>

"You two are from 12 so you'll be the last ones to be evaluated. Make sure you show your skills, Jax your strength, Emma your survival skills. Only use a throwing knife if they don't show interest, make sure they remember you." Lily emphasized the last 5 words. Second was the interview, "After tomorrow, mentors only have one day to train the tributes directly. Then, each of the tributes will be interviewed by Gigi Rueda. That interview is key to gaining sponsors. It gives the people a good look at who you are as a competitor. Make sure you impress them." And with that, Lily took her bottle of whiskey and trudged off to her room. Ramona had already gone to bed, once again, leaving Emma and Jax alone.

"Are you nervous?" Emma asked, normally Jax was able to hide his emotions well.

"Actually, I'm terrified, if the evaluation doesn't go well, that lowers the chances of getting sponsors. Then, it'll be even harder to make-"

"Jax!" Emma couldn't bear to hear him go on about how much a failure he thought he was," you'll be fine. I've seen what you can do, you don't have anything to worry about," Emma took his hand in hers," I know you'll do fine." She smiled at him and he reached over and pulled Emma into a bear hug.

"Thanks, Emma. I really needed a pep talk. I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight." Jax whispered in her ear. He then turned and walked into his room and Emma did the same.

* * *

><p>When Emma was done changing into her pajamas, she sat on her bed and thought about what had just happened. They that Jax held her in that hug, it made her feel safe, as though everything was going to be okay and they weren't about to be sent into an arena to die. Did Jax like her? Did she like him? Emma lay down on her bed and within minutes she lost consciousness with thoughts of her and Jax still in the back of her mind.<p>

* * *

><p>Emma woke up smiling. She was thinking about her conversation with Jax the previous night; the hand holding, the hug, the sound of his voice in her ear. It all made her feel like she could fly. The witch got ready for training with Lily as quickly as she could and headed out to the breakfast table. She took her place next to Jax and exchanged a smile with him. After eating, the pair of them went down to the basement and met Lily. The tributes and their mentors only got an hour and a half to train by themselves today, so every minute counted. Lily observed Emma as she identified edible plants, built a fire and threw knives. Lily thought that Emma actually had a shot at making it to the top 5 with her survival skills. Jax walked up to Emma and congratulated her on a job well done and wished her luck on her evaluation. Normally, once the first tribute was done training, they would return to their floor and wait for the other to return before going to the evaluation waiting room. But Emma felt the need to stay and support Jax.<p>

Jax showed Lily his strength and his camouflage skills. He then proceeded to try the ropes course again and completed it in record time. Lily was just as impressed with him as she was with Emma and her feedback reflected that," Well done, kid. Keep it up and you'll do fine. Now you two need to get to the waiting room. I'll see you when you're done." The mentor then walked over to the elevator and returned to the top floor.

Once the elevator door closed, Emma and Jax shared a warm embrace that seemed to last an eternity before the waiting room door opened. They sat down next to each other and didn't say a word. As the number of tributes diminished, Jax grew more and more tense. Emma noticed this, grabbed his hand, and smiled at him. He relaxed when her hand touched his. When his name was called, Jax gave Emma one last hug and whispered," Good luck, Em." Emma hugged him back and wished him luck as he walked out of the door.

10 minutes later, Emma heard her name called. She stood and entered the training floor. On the right, Seneca Crane and his colleagues were sitting and chatting. They hadn't even heard her come in. So Emma decided to make her presence known," Emma Alonso, Region 12." The Gamemakers all turned and looked at her as she picked up a throwing knife. She felt that this was a necessary move if she wanted to make an impression. She walked in front of a target and aimed for the center. Unfortunately, someone popped a cork off a wine bottle at the same time that Emma threw her knife, causing her to miss the target completely. The Gamemakers chuckled at this and returned to their conversations. Emma picked up another knife, aimed, and struck the target in the center. She smiled and turned to the Gamemakers, only to see that they were paying more attention to the roasted pig that was on the table in front of them. Then, Emma had an idea, and picked up another throwing knife. She took her aim and- bulls-eye! Her knife went straight through the apple the pig had been holding in its mouth. The Gamemakers froze and turned to face Emma who bowed and said smugly," Thank you, for your consideration." and walked to the elevator to head to floor 14.


	8. Chapter 8: Results and The Interview

**A/N: I'm putting a new poll up on my profile check it out as the results may influence future chapters!**

* * *

><p>Chapter 8: Results and The Interview<p>

"How could you have done that? You do realize that this reflects badly on all us, right?" Ramona was furious with Emma. Jax was sitting next to her and had his arm wrapped protectively around her.

"Look, I'm sorry, I just got mad, okay." Emma was sick of hearing Ramona go on and on. Jax rubbed her back comfortingly as Lily walked in with a glass of Bourbon and gave the young witch a thumbs up,"Well done, sweetheart. I just wish I had been there to see if firsthand."

Emma smiled as Jax shifted his arm from around her shoulders to holding her hand as the evaluation report came on. The Careers, as usual, were ranked highly. The ratings only went on a scale of 1 to 12 and only a handful of tributes had ever gotten higher than a 10. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Jax's score was read,"Jax Novoa, Region 12, with a score of 8." Jax let out a sigh of relief when he heard his score.

"And now, last, but not least, Emma Alonso." Emma's grip on Jax's hand tightened as she listened for her score,"Emma Alonso, Region 12, with a score of...11." Emma sat in shock. 11? Had she heard that right? She must have, because everyone was cheering. Jax gave her a hug and she whispered,"I thought they hated me."

Jax snickered,"I guess they like your guts, Em. Congrats, you earned that score." As the tributes hugged, Cinna shooed Lily, Ramona and Portia into the dining hall. After they broke away from their hug, Jax took the TV remote and turned the TV off. He stood and offered Emma his hand, leading her out to the terrace. There, they stood, still holding hands, until Jax pulled Emma to his chest and wrapped his arms around her. Emma was surprised at first, but eventually laid her head on Jax's chest, listening to his steady heartbeat. Jax checked his watch and, seeing that it was getting late, picked Emma up bridal style and carried her to her room, setting her gently on her bed and tucking her in with a kiss on the cheek,"Goodnight, Em. I'll see you tomorrow."

* * *

><p>Emma awoke in the middle of the night, screaming. She had been dreaming that the Centroid had discovered her powers and rather than cutting out her tongue, they had ordered her father, Andi, Daniel and even Jax to be hanged. Emma could barely stand the sight of such a thing. Jax had heard her scream and ran as fast as he could to her room. He burst through the door and rushed to Emma,"Shh, it's okay, Em, I'm here, shh, easy, you just had a bad dream, it's okay." Jax held her to his chest and refused to let her go. Eventually, she fell asleep in his arms, and rather than leave her alone, Jax crawled under the covers with her and held her for the rest of the night. Emma was sure she could hear him whispering,"It's okay, Em. I won't let anything happen to you. I promise."<p>

* * *

><p>The next morning, Emma woke to find Jax still holding her. He looked so peaceful that she was afraid to move. Suddenly, her mocha brown eyes met his chocolate brown ones. Jax smiled,"Mornin', Em." She returned the smile as they both arose to see that it was only 6:30, Lily and Ramona wouldn't be up until around 8. Together, they headed out to the living room and sat on the love seat. Jax turned the TV on and wrapped his arm around the young witch as Emma rested her head on his broad shoulder. After an hour or so, they went to the breakfast table and decided that what had happened the previous night was their little secret. No one would ever know what had happened last night.<p>

* * *

><p>After a brief training session with Lily, the tributes went to the 2nd floor to prepare for their interviews which would be held on a stage just outside the hotel. Jax wore a simple tux with a bow tie that changed color like a flame. He was also given a pocket watch with a mockingjay on the face. When Emma stepped out of her changing room, Jax nearly fainted. She wore a strapless dress that, like Jax's bow tie, flickered like a flame. Her hair was put up in a bun and was decorated with rubies. Jax offered her his arm and led her down to the interviews. Before getting in line with the other tributes, he whispered,"You have never looked more beautiful, Em. I just wanted to let you know that I think you're gonna blow everyone away." Emma smiled at him and followed him into line. Her interview came quickly and was over just as fast. Of course the crowd adored her dress, but what the crowd was really interested in was her relationship with Jax. She simply said that they were good friends and they had learned more about each other over the past few days than ever before.<p>

Once Emma stepped off stage, Jax took her place. When asked about his relationship by Gigi, his answer shocked everyone, including Emma,"I guess now's a better time than ever to say it. I have been crazy about her since the day we first met." That sent the crowd over the edge. They gave Jax a standing ovation as he walked over to Emma.

"Do you really think about me that way?" Emma was still surprised by what he had said.

"I only speak the truth, Em. You drive me nuts." He smiled and took her hand,"C'mon, we have a big day tomorrow." He led her back to their floor and they were met with silence, determining that Lily and Ramona had already gone to bed. Just like the night before, Jax lifted Emma bridal style and carried her to her room, where she changed in the bathroom, Jax cast a spell to change his clothes as Emma came back into her room. They slipped under the covers and slept more soundly than ever before, all while in each other's arms.


	9. Chapter 9: The Arena

**A/N: Man, I'm already at Chapter 9! Woohoo! (does a happy dance) BTW, the whole nightmare thing last chapter was inspired by Catching Fire.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 9: The Arena<p>

That night, it was Jax who woke up screaming. He had been dreaming about the horrors that would await him and Emma in the arena. What had woken him up was the thought of watching her be killed. Emma, his crush since the day he had first seen her. He would do anything for her. Jax relaxed when he saw her next to him, safe and sound. She woke up shortly after she had heard him scream,"Jax? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, Em. It was just a bad dream. I'm fine." He flashed her a smile and lay next to her until he was once again taken over by sleep.

* * *

><p>Jax had practically scared Emma to death when he screamed. When she asked him what was wrong, his voice was shaky and unsure. Emma could tell he was lying. Jax was terrified. He didn't want to go into the arena tomorrow but he had no choice. And neither did she. After catching his breath, he lay down next to her, and quickly fell back asleep. Emma, out of fear that he would have another nightmare, took hold of his hand, to let him know that she was still there. She would always be there.<p>

* * *

><p>The next morning, the tributes woke early for the last time. Together, they crept to the breakfast table and ate in silence. This was it. This was the day that every tribute feared. The day on which the most blood was always shed. It was the first day of the 74th annual Hunger Games.<p>

Lily and Ramona came into the dining hall at 7, followed closely behind by Cinna and Portia.

"Just some last minute tips for you two," Lily said with a twinge of sadness, the two teenage lovebirds had grown on her over the past few weeks,"First, don't step off the starting platform until the gong rings, otherwise, you'll be blown to bits." There were mines that surrounded the starting platforms that the tributes stood on. They were active for 60 seconds but when the gong rang they would be shut down.

"Second, only go for the items on the outskirts of the Cornucopia, those are usually survival bags and they are more useful than any weapon. Thirdly, avoid the Bloodbath at all costs. Grab your bag and run as far away from the Cornucopia as you can. Find shelter and be prepared for Careers on the hunt. And one last thing, stay together and _never _use magic in the arena. You'll be killed faster if you're alone."

Once Lily was done with her speech, Emma and Jax thanked her for her advice and followed their stylists to the second floor. They changed into their arena uniforms and went to the roof of the hotel, where a hovercraft was waiting to bring the tributes to the arena. When everyone was on board, the hovercraft lifted itself into the air and went to the arena. The tributes were equipped with trackers so that the Gamemakers could watch their every move.

15 minutes later, the hovercraft landed at the arena. Peacekeepers led the tributes to separate rooms where they would wait to enter the arena. Emma and Jax were led to the far end of the hall where two doors were labeled 'Region 12'. Before they went in, Jax gave Emma quick kiss on the cheek and whispered,"Good luck, Em. I'll see you soon." and disappeared into his room. Emma did the same.

After entering her room, she was surprised to find Cinna there waiting for her.

"I just wanted to show you something before you go." He walked over to the witch and lifted the left side of her jacket to reveal the mockingjay pin her father had given her. Cinna put his fingers to his lips and winked at her as an announcer came on the intercom,"All tributes step on to your hydraulic lifts now, countdown will begin in 60 seconds."

Emma gave Cinna a hug before stepping on to the lift as the countdown began. "Tributes going up in 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2-" The lifts moved up and brought the 24 teens into an open field in which the Cornucopia stood, filled with weapons and supplies. Emma spotted a backpack not far from her stand and decided to go for it. She looked over to Jax who was eyeing a battle ax that was in front of him. Emma was so busy focusing on Jax that she almost didn't hear the gong ring.

* * *

><p>Emma and Jax leaped from their platforms and grabbed what they wanted before running in the opposite direction of the Bloodbath. After running for 5 minutes, Emma realized that the arena looked exactly like the woods back in Region 12. She was paying so much attention to her memories of her home that she tripped over a tree root. Jax picked her up and found a small cave; he went in and set Emma down.<p>

"Em, you okay?" Jax sounded exhausted from carrying Emma and running for so long.

"I'm fine, Jax. Wait- listen." Just then, a cannon began to fire. Each shot represented a dead tribute. The pair of friends counted a total of 11 dead tributes. Suddenly, all of the emotions that Emma had bottled up ever since the Drawing came rushing out in a wave of tears. She was scared, upset, tired and confused all at once. Jax rushed over to her and held her.

"Hey, it's gonna be alright, Em. Don't be scared, I'm right here." Jax whispered soothingly as he tried to comfort the girl he loved. They stayed in the cave for the remainder of the first day and night, deciding it would be best to stay on the move. As, they lay next to each other later that night, Jax saw his opportunity to ask Emma something that had been bothering him for weeks,"Em, this may be an awkward time to ask but, do you like Daniel Miller as, you know, more than a friend?"

Emma was a bit surprised,"Uh, I never really gave it much thought, besides, I think that there may be someone else that I have feelings for, why?"

Jax smiled,"I was just curious. Goodnight, Em."

"Goodnight, Jax."


	10. Chapter 10: Unintended Separation

Chapter 10: Unintended Separation

Jax and Emma woke up to the sound of a cannon. Another tribute had been found dead with a slit throat. The pair of tributes heard a hovercraft approaching to pick up the body of the tribute. It wasn't that far from the cave, meaning that other tributes were passing through and killing everything in sight.

"I think we should get moving, what do you think, Jax?"

"I agree, we should see if we can catch any game while we look for another place to spend the night." He extended his hand to Emma and they crept out of the cave. They had to be cautious. Jax drew out one of the battle axes he grabbed at the Cornucopia and was staying close to Emma's side. If anything happened to her- he wouldn't be able to live with himself. Emma, simultaneously, opened her backpack and found a Raider stiletto dagger, a rope, iodine, some saltine crackers, a small pot, a sleeping bag, a water bottle, and an industrial sized book of matches. Emma pulled the Raider out of its sheath and followed Jax.

Suddenly, Emma felt something grab her by the arm, she screamed,"Jax!" The wizard turned and saw the boy from Region 5 holding Emma in a choke hold. He ran up to the two of them and socked Emma's attacker in the jaw. The boy released Emma as Jax continued throwing punches and swinging his ax. Finally, Jax raised the ax and let it connect with the boy's skull, killing him instantly. Emma stood in shock. Jax had just saved her life. He looked at her and saw the fear in her eyes from what he had just done.

"Em, we need to move, now!" He grabbed her arm and his ax and started running West.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, in the Game Room, Seneca Crane and President Torres were watching the Games intently from several cameras that had been scattered throughout the arena. Seneca noticed Jax and Emma were coming uncomfortably close to the West Northwest barrier.<p>

"Seneca, push those two back from the barrier, would you?" The president demanded.

"I was just about to, let's see if they can handle fire like this." Seneca went to the holographic projection of the arena and tapped the border that Emma and Jax were approaching, he smiled deviously as he watched the first tree go up in flames.

* * *

><p>Emma and Jax smelled something burning behind them; when they turned to look, their eyes widened with fear. The trees behind them were lit up like torches and the fire was spreading.<p>

"Come on! Stay behind me!" Jax yelled as he ran as fast as he could away from the barrier. Smoke started to make him disappear from Emma's view and she became scared.

"Jax! Jax, where are you? JAX!" Emma coughed when she inhaled the smoke, her vision was growing blurry, yet she kept running. She was unable to realize that Jax was only a few feet to her left, calling her name. The sound of trees falling as they burned drowned out his voice. As he kept calling for her, Jax felt a sharp pain sear through his back, he had been struck by a burning branch and it had burned through his clothes. Finally, he noticed a clearing and bee lined for it. When he emerged, he looked around for Emma, who was nowhere to be found. His vision began to blur as he said quietly,"Emma, I need you,"and passed out.

* * *

><p>Likewise, Emma found another clearing and ran to it. Jax was not there. She stopped and sat on the ground to catch her breath, Raider still in hand. The sky was growing dark and she decided to find shelter. She walked briskly through the clearing and came upon a stream. She collected some water in her pot, put some drops of iodine in it and let it sit. Emma then found a forked tree and decided to spend the night there. After feasting on some crackers and some water, she pulled out her sleeping bag and rope. Emma crawled into the fork, got in the sleeping bag and used the rope to tie herself to the tree. She would search for Jax in the morning. At the moment, all she could do, was hope that he was okay.<p> 


	11. Chapter 11: Finding Jax

**A/N: Sorry about Chapter 10 being so short. The next few chapters will be longer.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 11: Finding Jax<p>

Emma woke up the next morning to hear voices below her. She had managed to keep herself up in the tree all night and still remain undetected. She slid effortlessly out of her sleeping bag and peered down to see whose voices she had heard. When she saw who it was, her heart sank. The Careers. The tributes from Regions 1, 2, and 4 were all gathered underneath the massive oak tree sitting in front of a campfire. Emma listened intently to the conversation they were having,"Once we find that baker boy from 12, we'll use him as leverage to get his girlfriend to come out of hiding," Emma scowled, thinking "_I am_ _not his girlfriend, at least I don't think I am."_,"then once those two are out of the way, it'll be smooth sailing to the end."

The girl from Region 1 piped up,"Cato, why are we wasting so much time trying to find them, they're probably already good as dead coming from 12."

Cato grimaced, knowing that his temporary ally was probably right. Nevertheless, Cato enjoyed the thrill of a hunt,"What? You just want to sit around while they're probably gaining other allies? They could attack us at any moment and kill _at least_ once of us. Emma smiled, they considered Emma and Jax to be a threat. If she could find Jax- her thoughts were interrupted by a faint buzzing noise. The witch looked to her right and saw a bee's nest; however, this was not just any bee's nest, this was a Tracker Jacker nest. Tracker Jackers, like mockingjays, were a result of laboratory experiments conducted by the Centroid. Jacker venom caused hallucinations, swelling, vomiting and, eventually, death. The nest was hanging over the Careers and Emma had an idea. She grabbed her Raider and began to saw the branch where the nest was hanging off.

After 20 minutes of sawing, the branch began to waver, Emma then untied herself from the tree and packed her supplies in her bag. She finished sawing the branch off and watched it land on the girl from 1. The Careers immediately started running in various directions from the tree. Emma leaped down and ran in the only direction that the Careers hadn't gone in. As she was running, she started to feel nauseous and her vision began to go blurry. Emma fainted just as the cannon sounded.

* * *

><p>Emma was walking through the woods when she heard a voice, Jax.<p>

"Emma? Where are you? Help me!" She followed his cry until she saw him. She rushed over to him and hugged him but realized that he was gone. Emma then heard another voice, this time it was Andi's. She was calling Emma's name too and she was soon accompanied by Jax, Daniel, and her father. Soon, Emma fell to her knees and started to cry and scream. She jolted awake saying,"Stop!" Her breathing was heavy and she was sweating like crazy.

"Wow, you're a really heavy sleeper." Emma turned and saw Sophie sitting on a fallen tree.

"Sophie? How-? What-what happened?"

"I found you past out on the ground three days ago, covered in Jacker stings. So I brought you here and fixed you up. Not much has happened since then. The Careers set up camp at the Cornucopia; two more tributes have died too."

Emma's eyes widened,"Which ones?"

"The girl from 1 and the boy from 4. Don't worry, Jax is still alive, but no one has seen him for days." Emma sighed with relief and Sophie smiled when she did. Suddenly, Emma got an idea,"Sophie, you said that the Careers made camp at the Cornucopia?"

"Yeah, they rewired the mines to protect their stockpile of food, that's how the boy from 4 was killed. One wrong step and, BOOM!"

Emma smiled,"How about we even the playing field by destroying their stockpile?"

"I'm in, what's the plan?"

* * *

><p>The new allies had planned out everything, step by step. Sophie would keep watch for Careers who were on the prowl, while Emma would activate the mines surrounding the food pile. Hopefully, the explosion would kill whoever was guarding the pile too. When they came to the clearing where the Cornucopia was, Emma identified the guard as the female tribute from Region 2. Sophie took her place as watchman while Emma found a stone that would be capable of activating the mines. She took her aim, and threw the stone with as much strength as she had left. Two seconds later, the two girls heard a huge BOOM, signifying that the stone had made a direct hit.<p>

The first mine set off a chain reaction all throughout the clearing and drew the remaining Careers back to their camp. Marvel, the boy from Region 1, was heading back to the camp when he saw Emma and Sophie. He lifted his spear and aimed for Emma, but as the spear flew through the air, Sophie blocked it. Sophie grew pale and Marvel stood in shock as the spear struck her in the stomach. Emma, who had since noticed the Career's presence, took out her Raider, and threw it at him, hitting him in the chest, killing him instantly. Emma withdrew her dagger and rushed to Sophie's aid. The odds of her surviving that injury were slim; a fact that both girls knew. Emma felt tears rolling down her cheeks as she watched her new friend die.

"Emma-you-you need to f-find Jax. Y-you h-have to win this. P-promise me you'll win." Sophie managed to say as blood starting flowing out of the corner of her mouth. Emma nodded in agreement as the small girl turned white and closed her eyes for the last time.

"I promise, Sophie. I promise." Emma said as the cannon sounded.

* * *

><p>After mourning her ally's death, Emma began to make her journey to find her missing companion. She searched every clearing, every cave and every treetop until she came to the stream that she had discovered the previous day. She bent down to fill her water bottle with fresh water and put a few drops of iodine in it. As she was turning to continue her search, she felt something grab her ankle and pull her to the ground.<p>

"Emma? Is that you?" A weak voice came from the boulder in front of her. Only it wasn't a boulder that she heard talking, Emma realized that she had heard _his _voice,"Jax?"


	12. Chapter 12: Return to the Cave

Chapter 12: Return to the Cave

Jax was covered in camouflage. He had been hiding from Careers ever since he regained consciousness 3 days ago. His back was still searing in pain from the burns he received in the fire, but he didn't have the supplies to dress it. When Emma found him, she realized that he needed help and fast.

"Jax, thank God you're alive! Do you think you can stand and walk? I can bring you somewhere safer." Emma's mocha eyes were filled with concern for Jax as he attempted to lift himself up onto his feet. When he tried, a jolt of intense pain through his back sent him back to the ground.

"No, my back was burned in the forest fire, it hurts whenever I try to move." Jax said weakly. He hadn't had anything decent to eat in 3 days and was growing thin. Emma thought it would be best to attend to his burns first, then bring him to safety."Jax, can you roll onto your stomach for me? I'm going to try and clean you up." The boy nodded and did as he was told. Emma went to the stream and filled her pot with water. As carefully as she could, Emma removed Jax's shirt to get a clear view of his injury. It could have been worse, but it was still really bad. The burns spread across his back and had turned a whitish-green color from infection. The skin surrounding the wounds was black. Emma gently rinsed out the burns, though she could see Jax grow tense every time she touched them. She understood how much pain he was in and wondered if she should have stopped, instead she asked,"Are you okay? Do you want me to stop?" Jax laughed lightly,"Nah, I'm fine. It's a good thing you came when you did, Em. A few days more, and I would have been a goner. You saved me. Thank you." Emma smiled at this and replied,"Well, it's the least I can do after you saved me from that other tribute. There, I think I got it as clean as I could." With that, she offered Jax her hand and let him lean on her to regain his balance. Together again, they started walking towards the cave where they had spent their first night in the arena.

Emma helped Jax over to a small boulder where he sat while Emma set her sleeping bag down for him.

"Here, this should be more comfortable than a bed of rocks."

"Thanks, Em." Jax smiled at her warmly. Just then, his stomach growled, reminding him that he hadn't eaten in days.

"Hungry?" Em giggled.

"A little bit. I haven't eaten since I woke up 3 days ago." Emma's eyes widened. Poor, Jax. He had been suffering for days and she had made no effort to help him,"Dear God, Jax! I'm so sorry. We should have never gotten separated. This is all my fault and-"

"Emma, calm down. Its not your fault. I went ahead of you thinking that you were right behind me. I'm sorry." Jax looked down as Emma took his hand. He looked back up into Emma's eyes and for a moment, mocha met chocolate brown.

"Eat these, they may taste plain, but they'll help your stomach readjust to having food in it." She said handing him the remaining crackers she had in her bag. Jax took them eagerly,"Thanks." He ate them slowly and savored every bite he took. Emma was observing him the entire time and noticed that his eyes looked glassy and his face was flushed. She started to fear one of the worst things that could happen here,"Jax, are you feeling okay? You look flushed."

"A little tired and warm but that's it, why?" Emma gently placed her hand on his forehead. He was warm; Jax was getting sick and his injuries weren't helping. Jax needed medicine and soon, otherwise- Emma didn't want to think of what would happen to her friend if he didn't get help,"Jax, I think you have a fever. Here Emma took a strip of fabric from her jacket and dipped it some of the water she had collected at the stream,"this should help bring it down." She placed it on his forehead.

"I'm going to see if I can find any game. I'll be right back."

"Emma, wait. Please. There's something I need to talk to you about." Emma bent down next to Jax. Without warning Jax leaned and collided his lips with hers. At first, Emma didn't know what to do, but she then returned the kiss. Their lips moved in sync with each others, and they deepened their kiss as they did. When they broke away, Jax whispered in Emma's ear,"I love you, Emma."

Emma's heart skipped a beat when she heard Jax say those words,"I-I love you too, Jax." This time Emma leaned in for another kiss, which Jax gladly returned. Outside the cave, the two new lovers heard a clanging sound. They broke their kiss and Emma went to investigate.

"Be careful, love." Jax said. Emma went to the mouth of the cave and discovered two silver containers both the size of a dinner plate. On top of them, was a note.

_Keep it up, sweetheart. Sponsors are flooding in for you two lovebirds. Hope these help you and your boyfriend out._

_Lily_

Emma opened the containers and discovered a pot of broth and a container of salve that would help with Jax's burns.

"Jax!" She came running back to him and his eyes filled with worry.

"What's wrong, Em? What's out there?"

"Nothing's wrong. Lily sent us this," she showed him the soup and the medicine,"she said that sponsors are flooding in to send us supplies." Her friend, who was now something more than just a friend, smiled at what he saw.

"This is amazing, Em."

"Here. Let's see if it does what its supposed to do." Emma took the container of medicine and opened it. Jax turned over and exposed his wounds to her. Gently, she cleaned his wounds again and proceeded to put the medicine on his back. It stung slightly, but Jax was too relieved that Lily had just saved him to feel any pain anymore.

"There, that should do it." Emma then helped him turn over and helped him with the soup, which he gladly took from her. Once finished, Emma put the tops on both containers and put them in her bag. She could see it was getting dark outside.

"Its getting dark, you should get some sleep, Jax." Emma said giving him a soft kiss on his forehead.

"You should too, love. Come here." Jax said leaving her room in the sleeping bag. She crawled in next to him and snuggled up to him.

"Goodnight, Em. I love you."

"I love you too, Jax. Goodnight."


	13. Chapter 13: Mutts

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews guys. And by that I mean all 3 of them.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 13: Mutts<p>

The new pair of lovers woke up to the sound of Seneca Crane's voice, "Attention all tributes, as of yesterday, the Gamemakers have decided that if two tributes remain and are of the same Region, both will be made victors. Happy hunting, all." Jax's face broke out into a huge grin, "Em, did he just say what I think he said?"

"I think he did. Jax, we have the chance to go home together. We have to win this." Emma exclaimed. Now that she had realized her feelings for Jax, she felt as though she could live her life without him in it. They were going to either survive together or die together; there would be no middle ground.

"I know, babe. I know. So, let's think about who's left. There's you and me. And Cato. And Thresh. The girl from 5- am I forgetting anyone?"

"The boy from 6."

"Right, I think that's it. Now, we don't know where any of them are, but my guess is that Cato is hunting us down as we speak."

"You're probably right, Jax. We need to be prepared for anything and anyone. All I have for a weapon is the dagger that came in my backpack. And you don't have anything for defense, not to mention you're hurt." That reminded Emma that she needed to check his burns. She had Jax turn his back to her while she inspected his injuries. The medicine had done its job. The infection was almost completely gone and new skin was starting to form over the burns. The black skin surrounding the burns was mostly gone and replaced by a pink scar.

"Wow, it looks so much better. I'm going to just clean the burns out again and put a bit more medicine on them, alright?"

"Okay, just be careful, Em. I'm still a bit sore." Emma used the remaining water in her pot to clean the wizard's injuries and after putting some more medicine on them, handed him the container of soup, which was surprisingly still warm. When he was done, Jax offered her the container,"Here. You need to eat too, Em."

Emma took the container and emptied it in minutes,"Sorry, looks like its gonna be game for dinner for the remainder of our time in the arena."

Jax laughed,"It's okay. I guess I can forgive you." he said with sarcasm in his voice. He leaned in to give her a kiss, but was stopped by the sound of a cannon. Another tribute down. Following the cannon, Seneca Crane's voice became audible.

"Attention tributes, congratulations! You are now the top 5 remaining competitors. On a more serious note, each of you is need of something be it food, medicine, or a weapon. Outside of the Cornucopia, we have left a backpack for each of you, containing everything you need. You have until tonight to obtain your bag, or it will be removed from the arena. Good luck."

Emma looked at Jax who already knew what she was thinking,"No, Em. You'll be killed. I'm not letting you go."

"I didn't ask for your permission. You need something to defend yourself and," Emma touched her hand to his forehead; it was still warm,"you still have a fever. You need proper medicine. I'm going to get it for you. And you can't stop me, Jax."

The wizard sighed, he knew he had no chance of winning this argument,"Fine. But if you're not back in 30 minutes, I'm going to come looking for you."

Giving him a peck on the lips, Emma told Jax she would be back shortly and headed to the Cornucopia, armed with her dagger.

* * *

><p>Crane was right, there were 4 bags on a table in front of the giant structure, each labeled with a different number according to the tributes' Regions. Out of the corner of her eye, Emma saw the girl from Region 5 dash from the edge of the clearing, to the table, and back in the blink of an eye. The witch attempted to do the same thing, but was attacked by Cato on her way to the table. He lunged at her but Emma parried his attack just in time. They dodged each other's blows and danced around the clearing. Eventually, Cato gained the upper hand and knocked Emma to the ground, just as he was about to strike, Cato was tackled to the ground. Emma stood up and saw Thresh throwing punch after punch at Cato until he was knocked unconscious. Thresh turned at looked at Emma and said,"Just this once, 12. For Sophie." the boy grabbed his bag and ran into the woods.<p>

Emma then grabbed her bag and ran back to the cave before Cato had time to wake up. She called out to Jax softly,"Jax. Its me. I-" Emma was suddenly trapped in a bear hug. Jax had told her to be back in 30 minutes or he would look for her, but he decided against it when she left. But when she had been gone for almost an hour, Jax started to panic. When Emma had come into the cave, he was so relieved that he just had to hug her.

"Thank God you're alright. I thought Cato had gotten you."

"Jax, I love you, I really do, but if you don't let me go, I'm not going to be able to breathe at all." Jax released her and laughed at her remark.

"So, what's in the bag?" Emma opened the bag and her eyes lit up. Inside, there was a battle ax, a pack of throwing knives, jerky, fever reducer, and clean clothes for both the tributes. She handed Jax the ax, medicine, and a set of clothes and told him to get cleaned up. Emma turned her back to Jax while he changed and he did the same when she changed. He took two of the fever reducer pills and ate some of the jerky. After Emma was done changing, Jax walked up behind her and wrapped his hands around her waist. He began to kiss her neck, but she stopped him when she heard something that sounded like a growling animal.

"What is it?" Jax heard the faint growl that Emma had heard. He looked deeper into the cave, and saw almost 20 pairs of eyes, staring back at the couple.

"Emma. Don't make any sudden moves. I think those may be mutts." Jax whispered to Emma. They slowly backed out of the cave, grabbing their bags on the way out. Once they were out, they turned and ran towards the Cornucopia. It didn't matter if Cato was there or not. The Cornucopia was their only chance to keep from being torn to shreds by Centroid experiments.


	14. Chapter 14: Jax Shows His Strength

**A/N: Hey, guys. Wow! ****1000 views in less than a week! You guys are amazing! Keep on reading!**

* * *

><p>Chapter 14: Jax Shows His Strength<p>

The pursuit was brief. Emma and Jax ran for about 5 minutes until they saw the outline of the Cornucopia on the horizon. When they got a clearer view, they noticed that Cato was nowhere to be found.

"Em! This way! We can climb it, they won't be able to reach us up there!" Jax shouted over the barking of the mutts. They reached the Cornucopia and using Emma's rope and Jax's battle ax, they scaled the wall of the giant structure. Jax went first, followed by Emma. Halfway up, Emma felt a downward tug on the rope; looking down, she saw a mutt trying to pry the ax from the side of the metal structure. Emma panicked,"JAX! Pull me up!" Jax didn't respond as soon as she had hoped he would; she felt a harder tug downwards,"JAX!"

Just as Emma thought that she would be surrounded by mutts, she was surrounded by Jax's arms. He grabbed her and his ax just as they were about to fall into the fray below.

"Are you okay?" Emma nodded into her boyfriend's chest. She was still breathless from what had just happened. The mutts growled and clawed at the Cornucopia but to no avail. Suddenly, there were two high-pitched screams in the distance. Two cannon shots shortly followed. Five minutes later, 10 more mutts emerged in the clearing, their maws dripping with blood, human blood. Emma clutched tighter to Jax at the sight of it. Behind them, Cato started to emerge from the shadows, clapping,"Bravo. Bravo, indeed. You two really know to to put on a show, don't ya?" The Career started to direct his gaze at Emma, making Jax tighten his grip around her waist and his battle ax; Cato noticed and smirked,"But I must say that I'm disappointed in you, babe. I mean, how could you fall for a worthless baker boy like him, when you could have chosen me?" As Cato reached out to touch Emma, Jax grabbed his arm and pushed him back.

"Back off!" Jax began to run towards the Career, ax raised at the ready. Cato dodged his attack and drew his sword. The boys fought back and forth for the upper hand for almost 20 minutes before Jax knocked Cato to the ground and pushed him to the edge of the Cornucopia, where the mutts were waiting eagerly for their next meal. Cato looked up at Jax,"Go ahead, kill me. I don't have anything else to live for. Killing is all I know how to do." With that, Jax kicked the Career over the edge of the metal structure and watched him fall. He then turned to Emma who ran up to him and hugged him saying,"We won, Jax. We really won."

At the same time, Seneca Crane's voice was heard,"Congratulations, Region 12. You are the last two tributes remaining, unfortunately, President Torres has denied the dual victor rule that we established. Only one may be victor." Emma and Jax both felt their hearts stop. Their eyes widened as they stared into each other's eyes. Emma then reached into her bag and pulled out two of her throwing knives. She handed one to Jax.

"What are you doing-"

"If they won't have two victors, then they can't have any at all. On the count of three, we'll die together." Jax nodded as tears formed in his eyes. He started the count off,"One, two-" As they were about to plunge their knives into each other's chest, Seneca intervened,"Wait!" There was a brief pause before his voice was audible again,"Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to present the victors of the 74th annual Hunger Games." Immediately, Jax and Emma sighed with relief and held each other close with tears in their eyes. A hovercraft then appeared above them to bring them back to the Centroid and eventually, home.

* * *

><p>On the hovercraft, Lily, Ramona, Cinna and Portia were all waiting to congratulate the new victors. Cinna was the first to meet them,"Well done, Emma. I couldn't be more proud of you."<p>

"Thanks, Cinna." Portia and Ramona followed with similar reactions. Lily, however, walked up to the victors and hugged them both with tears in her eyes,"You have more guts than I ever thought possible. The entire nation is stunned by what you did. And so am I. Well done."


	15. Chapter 15: Returning Home

**A/N: This is the last chapter of Part 1. The second part will appear sometime tomorrow hopefully.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 15: Returning Home<p>

"Now tell me, Emma. What emotions were you feeling when you found Jax near death by the stream?" asked Gigi in the victors' interview 2 days after they had won. Emma looked softly at her boyfriend and grabbed his hand,"I felt like I was the luckiest person on earth. We both have lost so much, I don't know what I would have done if I had never found him." Jax smiled at her and thought to himself,"_And I don't know what I would've done if you had never come back with that backpack, I probably would've killed myself."_

Gigi moved onto her final question,"Last question. What are your plans for your future?" The pair of victors looked at each other and smiled. Jax answered,"Well, we plan to return home, of course. But we plan to continue our relationship as well. Hopefully, Emma won't get tired of me and will keep me around for a while." Emma and Gigi laughed at his remark. After the interview, the victors boarded the hovercraft that would bring them to Region 12. Their home.

* * *

><p>While on board, Lily motioned for Emma to come and speak with her privately. They entered the empty common room and sat down across from each other. Lily spoke first,"I know that you are still exhausted from everything, but this is important. The Centroid government is upset with you, Emma. They think that what you did with the throwing knives was an act of rebellion against them-"<p>

"But it wasn't! I didn't want to have to fight to the death with someone I love!" Emma interrupted. Lily ignored her,"They think that it was and that's what matters now. Emma, you and Jax are already in danger as it is with your powers, now people are starting to throw around the possibility of a revolution...with you as the figure head. You and Jax need to stay low key from now on."

Emma shifted uncomfortably in her seat,"Why can't we just erase everyone's memories of it? Then we could be left alo-"

"Magic can't always save you, Emma. It isn't going to save you from what you and Jax have done." There was absolute silence now. Then Lily spoke again,"Come on. We're almost back in 12." Together, they stood and left the common room.

* * *

><p>An hour later, Emma, Jax, Ramona and Lily all stepped out into the bleak early July sunlight of Region 12. In front of them was a massive crowd of cheering civilians who had been astonished at the triumphs of their new victors. Emma looked around until she saw her father beaming and applauding his daughter with Andi standing next to him cheering for her best friend. Emma waved at the two of them and smiled. She then continued to scan the crowd for Daniel, who was applauding them, but didn't want Emma to see the scowl on his face. It wasn't meant for her, of course, it was for Jax. When he saw them in the cave, Daniel's heart felt like it was going to disappear completely. But when Emma did see him, he put on a light smile and cheered for her.<p>

As Emma and Jax climbed into the Centroid car that would bring them to their new homes in the Victor's Circle, Jax held his girlfriend's hand and whispered,"Everything's going to be different from now on, isn't it?"

Emma looked into his chocolate brown eyes and whispered back,"Yeah, I think it is."


End file.
